The disclosure relates generally to manufacturing microlens arrays, and more specifically to a progressive indent system for manufacturing microlens arrays.
A microlens array is an optical element that may be used in cameras, microscopes, and other imaging technologies to improve the amount of imaging information captured by an image sensor. Typically, a microlens array is an array composed of a plurality of microlenses, wherein each microlens may have a diameter less than a millimeter and may even measure on the micron scale. Manufacturing a microlens array presents a number of challenges due to the size of each microlens, precision of the shape required for each microlens, and the number of microlenses in each microlens array. To achieve the precise shape of each microlens, a microlens array is typically manufactured using precision machining, such as diamond-turning. However, the larger the microlens array, the longer it can take to manufacture. For instance, a microlens array for a 1-megapixel camera may include 1,000,000 microlenses, and at a rate of manufacturing one microlens per second, the overall cycle could take 1 million seconds (approximately 11.5 days). Keeping the machining process stable for such a long time presents a significant technical challenge and results in excessive risk and cost for such an operation. Thus, an improved manufacturing process for creating microlens arrays is needed.